Brad Cox

Will Stroud, Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm and For the People Racing Stable's Life of Joy (Gun Runner) will miss the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks due to a minor setback, according to a post on X by Churchill Downs' communications team on Tuesday. Winner of the Mar. 21 GII Fair Ground Oaks, the bay will be pointed toward a fall campaign, according to trainer Brad Cox. A 14 3/4-length winner in her career debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis in the fall of her juvenile season, she added a score in the Rags to...

A pair of 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard', are part of this week's fastest maidens hit parade. 5) LA RASCASSE, KEE, 4/11-8th, 7f VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure- 84 (f, 3, by Authentic-Hallawallah, by Candy Ride (Arg)) O-Resolute Racing. B-Bill Klisit (Ky). T-Will Walden. J-Axel Concepcion. Champion Maryfield (Elusive Quality), who won the 2007 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, was disappointing as a producer, but her top earner Hallawallah (Candy Ride {Arg}) has a chance to burnish the family resume. Hallawallah earned $188,789 with no black type and Beyer...

Last year's Eclipse-winning 3-year-old male Sovereignty (Into Mischief) led the Kentucky-bred merits for 2025 along with his owner/breeder, Godolphin who were honored as KTOB Breeder of the Year. The full list of awards is: Broodmare of the Year: Crowned (Bernardini) (Owner: Godolphin) Horse of the Year, 3-Year-Old Male: Sovereignty (Godolphin) 2-Year-Old Male: Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) (Aaron & Marie Jones LLC) 2-Year-Old Filly: Super Corredora (Gun Runner) (Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC) 3-Year-Old Female: Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) (D. J. Stable) Older Dirt Male: Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) (Debby Oxley) Older Dirt Female:...

Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), fresh off an Eclipse Award-winning season in 2025, opened her 4-year-old campaign with a win in the Feb. 7 GIII Bayakoa Stakes--a victory trainer Mark Casse called "the best race she's ever run." Things didn't go quite as well when the filly faded to third in the Mar. 7 over a sloppy Oaklawn surface in the GII Azeri Stakes, but she will look to get back on track when she returns in the GI Apple Blossom Handicap Saturday at Oaklawn Park. She is the 9-5 morning-line favorite...

Juddmonte's Touch of Fire (Constitution) tracked an easy pace on Fair Grounds debut Jan. 8 and kicked into high gear in the lane, putting some seven lengths on his rivals to earn 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard status. Accordingly sent off the 2-5 favorite for the Feb. 28 Black Gold Stakes in New Orleans, the homebred had things his own way on the lead, but could not quite see it out and settled for second to the promising Black Hornet (Essential Quality). Back into allowance company here as the...

Trainer Brad Cox had a pair of horses work Friday ahead of a projected next start in the GI Kentucky Derby. Both Wathnan Racing's GI Florida Derby winner Commandment (Into Mischief) (:48.40 {14/44}) and St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Fulleffort (Liam's Map) (:48.40 {14/44}) recorded published four-furlong workouts Friday morning. Commandment was the first of the two Cox trainees to breeze and worked in company with George Messina's Louisiana-bred stakes winner He's Late Again (Aurelius Maximus). The duo completed an opening quarter-mile in :24.40...

Gary and Mary West's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Prom Queen (Quality Road) began her serious preparation for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on Thursday when she breezed a half-mile in :49.40 (30/37) at Churchill Downs. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' began her work from the three-furlong pole with trainer Brad Cox's exercise rider Edvin Vargas in the irons while completing an opening eighth-mile in :13.40. She continued through the wire clocking three furlongs in :37.20 while completing her move with a five-furlong gallop out in 1:02.40. "We...

3rd-KEE, $120K, ALW/N1X, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 2:04 p.m. ET. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', and Triple Crown nominee TOUCH OF FIRE (Constitution) comes to Keeneland to contest an allowance race over the Haggin Turf Course. The Juddmonte homebred cleared by seven lengths on debut at Fair Grounds in early January, which earned the colt a commendation from this publication for his effort. After finishing as the runner-up in the Black Gold Stakes in New Orleans in late February, the Brad Cox trainee is tabbed as the 9-5 morning line...

In what was no doubt a difficult decision, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. has committed to riding GI Arkansas Derby winner Renegade (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby. Ortiz was also the regular rider of GI Blue Grass Stakes winner and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Further Ado (Gun Runner). It's possible that the two will be, in some order, the first and second choices in the Derby. The news on Ortiz's pick, as well as other jockey commitments made to other key Derby contenders, was first reported by...

With Further Ado (Gun Runner) crushing his rivals in Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Irad Ortiz Jr. continued one of the most spectacular runs through the preps for the GI Kentucky Derby that any jockey has ever had. It was his fifth win in a Derby prep, including three races that award the maximum 100 points to the winner. Of the five horses atop the point leaderboard for the Derby, Ortiz had ridden four of them at some point this year. They are Commandment (Into Mischief), Fulleffort...

Further Ado (Gun Runner) announced his presence with a jaw-dropping 20-length maiden win at Keeneland last fall. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' returns to Lexington as the horse to beat in Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S., good for 100-50-25-15-10 points to the top five finishers on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Spendthrift Farm colorbearer was a workmanlike winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, then kicked off his 3-year-old campaign with a solid second-place finish behind The Puma (Essential...

The long run of preps for the GI Kentucky Oaks will come to a close this weekend as the last of the 3-year-old filly preps will be run. All eyes will be on Keeneland Friday as the track will host the only Grade I prep for the Oaks, the GI Ashland Stakes. The favorite will be Zany (American Pharoah), who hasn't been out since the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Should she win, she will most likely be the favorite come May 1 at Churchill Downs. So,...